[Updated, Thursday, March 5, 5:45 p.m.] Temporary repairs to of one of the busiest stretches of Trout Brook Drive in West Hartford have been completed and all lanes are now reopened.

This section of Trout Brook Drive near Kingswood Oxford School will be temporarily closed due to road failure. Photo courtesy of DPW Director John Phillips

By Ronni Newton

Update

Director of Public Works John Phillips confirmed Thursday afternoon that repair has been made to the section of Trout Brook Drive in West Hartford that failed on Wednesday, and all lanes have now been reopened.

Original Story

The winter weather has been taking its toll on roads in West Hartford and throughout the area, and on Wednesday the Department of Public Works announced that the right northbound lane of Trout Brook Drive, in the vicinity of Kingswood Oxford School, will be closed for at least the next 24 hours due to road failure.

“Water is anyone’s worst enemy in winter,” Director of Public Works John Phillips said. He said that the area of Trout Brook that failed is the site of an old utility trench that had been repaired. Water and ice has caused the pavement to heave and the asphalt is now crumbling. In addition, the large ice bank on the right side of the road is not permitting the water to be channeled properly, Phillips said.

“I had to make the very important decision to close that portion of the road,” Phillips said. He said that crews have been working for 30 hours straight and must be available to deal with accumulating snow that is forecast for overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

The forecast amount of snow isn’t much, but “anything over a dusting requires staff to treat the roads,” Phillips said.

“I know it’s inconvenient, and I sympathize,” said Phillips, but he said there really are no other options.

Weather permitting, the road will be excavated and temporary repairs will be made on Thursday. He said that this section of the road is slated to be repaved completely this spring and summer because it has reached its life expectancy.

“The road couldn’t wait,” Phillips said.